American public attention has been focused on the recent school shooting in Florida and gun reform, as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation of President Donald Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. One issue that remains on second-tier status is the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Most Americans are tired of anything dealing with the Middle East. With the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) and the ongoing civil war in Syria, however, the United States faces many difficult challenges in the region. If the U.S. takes no action, there is the potential for a regional war to reignite.
Israel on Collision Course with Iran
Just last month, Israel shot down an Iranian drone that flew from Syria into Israeli airspace. Israel subsequently bombed the site from where the drone was launched.
During follow-up missions, Syrian antiaircraft fire downed an Israeli F-16, which was the first Israeli fighter jet to be shot down in decades. Israel responded with a massive retaliation against Iranian and Syrian targets.
Since that incident, Iran has built a military base northeast of the Syria capital of Damascus, according to Amos Harel of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. This base is headed by Iran’s Al Quds force and commanded by Major General Qasem Soleimani, who is responsible for the deaths of many U.S. military forces in Iraq.
The region is now sitting on a tinder box, and the situation is only going to get worse.
The Syria civil war has only exacerbated tensions in the Middle East. About 500,000 people have been killed and six million displaced from their homes, not to mention five million refugees who have spent years in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon. These countries have struggled to keep pace with the influx of refugees, and inhabitants just want the refugees out of their country.
Will There Be War Between Israel and Hezbollah?
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